The Cursed Avenger
by GoGreen43
Summary: A woman was cursed to live forever, and she has spent the better of forever to try and reverse it. For the past 40 years Agent Sterling has been working for shield on a mutual agreement, she helps them, they help her. So when Captain America is found in the ice, the last thing she expects is to be his babysitter.
1. Prologue

**The Cursed Avenger**

 **-Prologue-**

 **Berkhamsted, England: 1549**

Berkhamsted is a medium-sized market town located in the small Bulbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills, dozens of miles northwest from the bouncing London. The people of Berkhamsted were modest, even if it was a marketing town and there were many newcomers who came and went as they pleased.

The past decade has been hard for the town, as the governing officials have been leading a raid against those who preform witchcraft, creating rifts between families and a loss of trust between friends. The leader of this crusade is the town's Pastor Sterling.

Today, after long years of the horrible infestation in the town, was the marking of the end of the witch hunt for Pastor Sterling and his followers. In the middle of town square, there were six women, all different ages, bound to stakes while the townspeople gathered to see their impending deaths.

A young woman stood next to the pastor, standing stiffly whilst looking on at the scene ahead with her icy blue eyes.

"Are you sure these people are guilty, Father? What if-"

The older man cut her off, "Edith. Are you doubting my judgment?"

The dark haired woman quickly turned to look at her father, eyes widening. "No, sir. I do not doubt you, please mark that."

He nodded before turning his piercing eyes to his daughter. "You must be careful, Edith. One might believe a nerve has been touched. You would not want to share their fate, hmm?"

Edith nodded to her father, understanding his threat. In these times any behavior of sympathy towards the accused meant you were accused as well. And as the daughter of the pastor, Edith knew she was being watched at all times. If she were to act out of ordinary, everyone would know.

And then she would be burned.

The councilmen walked out onto the platform, standing there with proud smiles on their faces. The people of Berkhamsted clapped proudly, and Edith couldn't keep the smile off of her face when her father walked up to join them.

The Head Councilman Thompson raised his hand, causing everyone to immediately go silent. The silence was deafening as the echo of the last clap rang through town square between the buildings. It was haunting, and the weight of the situation weighed on Edith's shoulders.

"Today is the day where we rid of the evil that has been prowling our streets! Today is the day we end the pain and suffering of the treacherous witches and all they have done to us and our humble lives! We shall end this here, now, and immediately!"

His booming voice brought cheers throughout the townspeople, who started chanting.

"Burn them! Burn them! Burn them!"

Edith looked around at the people who were starting to resemble animals, and gulped. She knew what was about to happen, but didn't agree with it. She knew half the women who were about to be murdered, and knew that they were as normal as she was.

Unfortunately her father and his followers thought differently, and the women were now subject to death.

Edith looked on as her father started to give a prayer to the women who were now struggling at the fire torches that the militia were now marching towards them.

"Please help me!" one woman cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"I am innocent!"

"God help us!"

Five of the six women were struggling on the restraints, screaming for help and crying out to God to have mercy. But there was one woman who stared into the flames with a small smile on her face. Her eyes were dark, almost black, which caused Edith to gasp.

As if she heard her gasp of shock, the woman snapped her eyes to Edith's, and frowned. The woman turned to Edith's father, and then looked back at her with recognition covering her features.

"Do any of you have last words?" Pastor Sterling asked, once he finished his prayer.

The women were either too enveloped in their own sobs to answer, or they were too busy screaming in pure bloodied terror. But the one woman with the dark eyes continued to look at Edith with a smile, and spoke, her voice sounding too dark to be human.

"I curse thee Edith Sterling for all eternity," she spoke, and everyone's eyes turned towards Edith, who suddenly couldn't feel her feet. _God, help me_.

A green smoke seeped from the witch's very being, and started towards the frightened Pastor's daughter. There was no escape.

"Stop this!" The pastor cried out, looking between the witch and his daughter in unmasked horror. "She is pure!"

The witch cackled, living up to her name. "I curse thee to life, for that in all your strife you will never find death, so you shall never have a final breath."

As the green smoke started to surround Edith, she faintly heard her father cry out for the witch to be burned, and the sound of the women screaming in pain, which slowly faded to nothing.

The smoke quickly dissipated, and as soon as Edith regained feeling back in her legs she collapsed to her knees, tears flowing from her eyes as she looked up at her father who wore a grim look on his face, and she realized there was nothing he could do for her now.

She was going to be burned.

Her father ordered it himself, and she was quickly tied to a stake by him, who looked to almost be scolding her for being so rash and getting herself cursed. Edith knew he felt no remorse, and that made the tears fall faster.

The pastor menacingly called for the guards to burn his daughter, and what happened next was something no one would be able to explain.

As soon as the flames scorched the young woman, she could feel the pain, she could feel the fire burning her skin, but visibly nothing happened. Her skin was as perfect as it had always been, but her clothes burned away, leaving her naked in front of the entire town.

People were gasping in shock, crying out in fear, or collapsing in a dead faint. And it wasn't because of Edith standing in front of them, bare from head to toe. It was because she was standing in front of them with her heart still beating in her chest.

And with a shred of horror, Edith knew her life was never going to be the same.


	2. Chapter 1

**The Cursed Avenger**

 **-Chapter 1-**

 **Manhattan, New York: 2012**

"Edith Sterling, what did I tell you about being in my lab?"

The youthful woman turned around from her place in the lab to see Tony Stark standing in front of her with a playful smile on his face.

"Jarvis, I asked you not to tell him I was here," Edith spoke, looking back down at the specimen on the other end of the microscope.

"I apologize, Miss Sterling. I fear that Mister Stark has overridden your request," the AI's voice came out over the speaker system.

Edith shrugged, moving away from the microscope to look over some notes she had taken. "It's okay, Jarvis. I know how stubborn our little Stark can be."

"Little? I would hardly describe me as being _little_."

Edith chose to ignore the billionaire's jab to try and start a fight, knowing that it would get her nowhere. She heard him walk over to her, and nearly attacked him when he ripped the notes out of her grasp and glared at her.

"You know, it's getting really annoying to have to compete for your attention," Tony spoke. "You're my assistant, so how am I supposed to get assistance when you're off on missions?"

Edith simply rolled her blue eyes at the billionaire's childish behavior.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not your assistant. Second of all, we both know why I work for Shield, and third of all, I am _not_ your assistant. I wiped your ass and changed your diapers for Christ sake. Show a little respect."

The billionaire groaned, "Why do you always pull the diaper card?"

Edith took her notes back and smiled at him evilly. "Well, like me, it never gets old."

"Whatever you say, Peter Pan. So why does Shield send you off on all these missions anyway? You've been working for them longer than anyone, after all."

She shrugged, leaning up against the lab table and placed the notes down behind her. "Well, I can't die, so if I sustain any mortal wound it won't kill me like it would kill anyone else they send out."

Tony nodded as his face scrunched up in thought. "But a simple recon mission? That's a job for rookies, not professionals."

"Why are you looking for something that's not there? I'm flattered you want me around, but you're insinuating Shield is up to something, and that's kind of serious."

The man shrugged. "Well, it's just a thought. Anyway, Pepper wanted me to ask you if you would look over some of the construction in the labs. She's busy working on the designs for the lower levels."

Edith nodded, smiling at the mention of Tony's girlfriend. "Anything for her. Look, I'm going to head out, I need to go check up on the apartment to… feed my fish and all that."

"Not to burst your bubble or anything, Edith, but you don't have any fish."

She glared at the billionaire. "How do you know I didn't just go and buy one? When was the last time you were at my apartment, anyway?"

Tony rolled his eyes, not buying a word she was saying. Edith sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere by keeping him in the dark. Tony Stark was the nosiest person she has ever met, and in her centuries of living on this earth, she has met quite a few people.

"Okay, look, I really need to go home, but if you give me a ride I'll be nice."

Tony smirked and yelled, "Jarvis! Prepare my iron-mobile!"

"Sir, I don't know which mobile you are speaking of," Jarvis replied, and Edith chuckled at the look of rejection on Tony's face.

"The Audi, I thought we talked about this, Jarvis."

"I have no records of any conversation pertaining to this topic, Sir."

Edith was laughing now, and Tony stuck his tongue out at her before walking out of the lab like the big baby he was. Once she calmed herself down, she looked at her notes again, and couldn't hold back the frown that took over her face.

663 years ago, she had been cursed by a witch with immortality, and ever since then, she has been searching for a cure to allow her to live out her life normally and die like everyone else. Shield has been doing some work for her, and in result she has been doing some work for them- a mutual relationship.

On her last mission to Moscow, she met with a healer who claimed to be able to cure her, but the specimen under the microscope is telling her different. Edith was starting to think that there isn't going to be a way out of this life for her, even though she wanted nothing more than to just cease to exist.

She has had enough pain for a million lifetimes, and she was ready for it to be done.

Softly closing her notes into a file cabinet, she looked out the glass to see the city skyline. It was a beautiful view, and she knew that Tony had made sure that she would be able to see everything that she had come to love over her many years.

Edith smiled as she remembered when she would watch Tony when he was just a boy, and she would always bring him to the top of her apartment building and show him the view. "This world is going to be what you make of it, Tony," she had said to the boy. "It's your job to make it great."

Little did she know at the time that she would be witnessing him grow up to become one of the richest and most accomplished men in the world. She watched him become Iron Man, a hero who saved lives and made the world a better and safer place.

And looking back on it now, Edith held nothing but motherly pride for Tony Stark, even if he was starting to look older than her.

"Miss Sterling? Mister Stark is ready for you."

Edith nodded, "Thank you Jarvis."

She quickly picked up her area in the lab and made her way to the elevator, pressing the button that would lead her to the garage. The elevator was immediately flourished with annoying 80's music that she knew Tony had programmed in.

The ride to the garage was quick, and immediately walking out of the elevator I was met with an overly-excited billionaire who was clapping his hands at the sight of me. "I'm glad you've made it! Only took you…" he looked at a watch that wasn't there. "20 minutes? Makes someone wonder what you were doing."

I raised an eyebrow and wordlessly got in the passenger seat of his Audi. He followed my lead and looked at me worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"The healer's antidote didn't work."

He nodded, staring forward at the road in front of us as Jarvis weaved us in and out of traffic towards my apartment. "But you're not going to give up, Edith."

She laughed emotionlessly. "Maybe I should give up. I need to get over the fact that I'm going to live forever. Who knows? Maybe I should find myself some Asgardian to keep me happy."

Tony frowned. "Don't even joke like that. We both know that there's something that can help you, we just need to find it."

Edith looked at Tony with sad eyes, causing the billionaire to flinch at the loss in her expression. "I can't keep doing this forever, Tony. I've been doing this for over 600 years, you'd think I would have learned about a cure by now."

"Look, if you give up now what would those 600 years have been worth? If you give up now, there's no reason for the last 600 years of your life, and congratulations, you have wasted your entire life for nothing."

"You know, I was really thinking that you would be more sympathetic."

"Sympathetic?" Tony ran his hands over his face. "I don't want you to give up, Edith. Not now, not ever. Because if you give up, then that makes it okay for everyone else to give up, and that's _not_ okay. You inspire me, Edith. If it weren't for you, I would have died in that cave years ago. So please, don't take that away from me."

The brunette looked at the man in front of her with a sad smile, seeing the boy on the top of the building from all of those years ago. "I will never do that to you, Tony."

The billionaire looked satisfied at her words. "Good. I didn't want to have to threaten you or anything. This is the end of that argument, okay? No more talk about giving up or I might have to sick the Hulk on you."

Edith rolled her eyes. "You don't even know where Bruce Banner is."

"Uh, hello," he pointed to himself, "I'm kinda both a billionaire and a genius."

"Then why don't you act like it?"

"Uh, please do tell me what a billionaire genius is supposed to act like?" He asked, with a smug smile plastered on his face.

Edith pretended to think about it. "Oh, not like a four year old who doesn't get what they want, which is exactly how you act from time to time." Tony's mouth opened to say something, but then she continued, "Wait, they're also probably not supposed to act like a jerk every three minutes. Trust me, I've counted."

"Well if that's how you're going to be-"

"Oh look! We're here!"

Tony grumbled something as Jarvis pulled up to the apartment complex, and parked the car in a side lot that was monitored by Stark Industries. Edith looked at the highly polished apartment building with a sigh. This was the only place that Tony would let her stay, as it was as guarded as a safe house. Sometimes she thinks he forgets that nothing can actually hurt her.

They walked into the complex and up to her second level apartment in a comfortable silence. Edith was just glad to be home, not having to worry about someone shooting at her or things being rigged with bombs, or people just trying to kill her in general. It's not the whole death thing she's worried about, it's the pain that she still feels.

Just because something doesn't kill her doesn't make her feel any pain.

Tony walked up to the door, then paused for a second, and looked back at Edith with confusion. "Uh, do you normally not lock your doors? Cause that's not exactly safe, you know."

"Wait, it's not locked?" Edith pushed the billionaire to the side and looked at the door that was currently opened by an inch. "What the hell?"

She pulled her gun out of the holster that hung on the side of her hip and took off the safety before holding it in a ready position. Tony looked at her weirdly, "Since when did you get a gun?"

Edith rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Tony. A little Iron Man power wouldn't be so bad right now," she spoke softly, and he pointed at his wrist to a little band that looked a lot like his reactor. "What the hell is that?"

"It's for the suit. Can we go in now? I kind of want to kick some ass."

Edith sighed, and kicked the door open to her apartment, half expecting for someone to jump out at her, but was instead met with the clean apartment. She slowly walked in, clearing the spaces that weren't visible to her when she walked in, all the while making sure Tony stayed behind her.

She made her way through the apartment, and paused when she saw a figure sitting at her kitchen table, sipping some bottled water. Recognition flooded through her and she immediately sheathed her gun.

"Agent Coulson? What are you doing here?"

Edith looked towards the balding man, who she had just seen hours ago. To be seeing him again this soon meant something bad had happened, causing a bad feeling to churn in the pit of her stomach.

"Your apartment is nice," he complemented, looking between Tony and Edith with a glint of mischief in his eye.

"Thank you."

"I happened to notice you don't have a lot of personal belongings, though. I think some pictures would liven up the place. Probably add a touch of color."

Coulson's assessment of my apartment caused Edith to look around sheepishly at the clean-lined, white apartment around her. There was an obvious lack of personality to the space, but it was clean and confined, just how she liked it.

"Mr. Agent does have a point, Edith," Tony spoke loudly, allowing Coulson to acknowledge his presence in the room. "I'm sure Pepper would love to help you spruce this place up."

"I agree with Mr. Stark," Coulson said joyously, obviously enjoying Edith's embarrassment.

Edith ignored the men, choosing this moment to grab a beer from the fridge to take the edge off this annoying conversation. "You do realize that I really don't care what you think about my apartment, Coulson? Or is this some sort of payback for all the years I kicked your ass in training?"

"I still don't know how Fury was able to convince you to move from just being a consultant, Edith. When we worked together that seemed to be the line that was never to be crossed," Coulson spoke provokingly. Edith knew the man long enough to not take the bait.

"Hey, Edith! That sounds like the conversation you and I just had back at the tower! I guess I'm not the only one taking notice in the difference," Tony added, taking side with Coulson in this conversation.

Edith glared at the two of them, and looked at Coulson, and from his rugged appearance she knew something was going on. His tie was loosened, and his jacked seemed to be too rumpled for the Phil Coulson she knew too well. She decided to take a sip of the beer to loosen the tension between the two of them.

"You and I both know that you're not here for a social visit, Phil. Tell me why you're here, and I won't kick you out of my apartment," Edith said, her Shield Agent persona taking over.

She noticed Tony make a move to the cabinets behind her and take out a bottle of some whisky that he bought her for her birthday last year, which she never touched. She hated the taste of whisky, and knew Tony only bought it for himself.

"I have an assignment for you, Edith. It's extremely sensitive, and something that I believe only you can do," Coulson spoke. He cleared his throat and took a sip of water before continuing, "Fury wants you to be on detail for-"

Edith slammed the bottle she was holding on the table, causing it to smash to pieces, but never once piercing her skin. She felt the pain of glass piercing her skin, but years of conditioning kept her from reacting to the pain.

Coulson never once flinched, as he was used to her destructive tactics himself, and simply sighed to himself. "Look, I know it's not something that you would usually do-"

Edith glared at the agent, and cut him off, "I don't babysit anyone, Coulson. This has never been a part of the deal and Fury knows it. The only reason why I decided to loosen up on my consultant morale was because I could make a difference with Shield's help. But babysitting? This is a new low, even for Fury."

The agent in front of her nodded in agreement. "I agree with you, Edith. But Fury and I both think that you're the right person for the job this time."

Edith rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just have a rookie do it? That's what they usually do anyway."

"It's different this time."

Tony suddenly seemed to become more interested in this conversation. "Why is it so different?" The billionaire asked.

Coulson eyes darted between the both of us, and a smile came to his face.

"It's different because you won't be just babysitting some billionaire with daddy issues," Coulson paused and looked at Tony, "No offense, Stark."

"None taken," Tony grumbled, obviously offended by Coulson's playful stab.

"So who is it?" Edith asked, one eyebrow raised. "Who could be so important that you would pull in the cavalry be on detail for them?"

Coulson's smile got even bigger, and she immediately knew who the agent was referring to. The only person that could get Coulson to be _that_ excited, like, ever. The guy even has mint-condition trading cards to prove it.

"Captain America."


	3. Chapter 2

**The Cursed Avenger**

 **Chapter 2**

 **New York Shield Headquarters**

As soon as Coulson had given her the assignment to babysit Captain America, Tony decided to get out of there before he could be dragged into this too. Edith knew Tony was going to be getting involved with the Captain soon enough, so she silently had a little victory.

Coulson dragged Edith to Shield's New York headquarters, which really didn't have a formal address, and Edith found herself sitting in a cold, stuffy office. Coulson made her sit in a chair in front of the desk, while he took the seat beside her.

"Coulson, are you stupid? Stars and Stripes isn't going to want to speak to me," Edith begged, hoping that Coulson would see reason, and get her off this assignment.

Coulson knew her better than anyone at Shield, and that meant he knew just how mentally unstable she was. Edith knew that he had seen some of her mental breakdowns which has resolved in the cause of a nation's downfall, thousands of people being injured or killed, and her trying to kill herself.

Edith couldn't really see how she could be best suited to try and talk Captain America down from the ledge of time, while she couldn't even do it for herself.

"Personally, I think you'll do just fine," Coulson threw back, a steady smile playing on his lips.

She raised a sharp eyebrow at his nonchalant answer. "You do realize that the man I'm about to mess up is America's greatest hero? How could you, or Fury for that matter, believe that I would do more good to that man than harm?"

"I believe it, Agent Sterling, because the two of you have a lot in common."

Edith's eyes widened as Director Fury waltzed through the door, and took his seat behind the desk. She immediately knew why this place felt so cold and stuffy, it was Fury's office, so of course it would feel like that. _Just like his personality_ , she thought.

Coulson stood up to acknowledge the Director's presence, but Edith couldn't find it in herself to appraise this man. Even after everything she has done for this agency, she is being humiliated. And she doesn't like it one bit.

"I don't think that's the only reason why you want someone like me watching your prized possession. Is it the Avengers initiative?"

Fury's eye narrowed at Edith as he leaned forward on his elbows, trying to intimidate the woman. "How do you know about that?"

Edith rolled her eyes. "I raised Tony Stark. Anything he knows is passed on to me, so I know just as much as he does."

"It was never going to happen, Edith. What makes you think we're going to try and run it now?" Coulson asked, and she simply smirked in answer.

"A Captain out of time would be the perfect leader for a band of misfit heroes, don't you think?" Edith asked, directing her question to the Director, himself. "If you want me to get him ready to lead a team, I will. If you want me to show him what has happened in the past 70 years he has been on ice, I will. But if you want me to be his _friend_ , or his _confidant_ … I will not."

The sides of Fury's lips turned up, almost as if he were smiling. Edith couldn't help but get the feeling that he was purposefully hiding something from her that would equal up to be trouble.

"It might do you some good to get to know him, Agent Sterling," Fury hinted, and she laughed.

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen, Sir."

Edith was slightly peeved that Fury would even consider her becoming friends with someone for a job. She was smart enough to know that those kinds of friendships will only end up in pain or a third world war.

Neither outcome seemed to be too pleasant.

"Agent Sterling, you will do this job as you need to fulfill your half of our deal. Whether or not you become a friend or a confidant will entirely be up to you. Though, if you are enemies with a man, how can you expect him to be forward with his thoughts?"

Edith smirked. "I don't know, how is it that you are so forward with your thoughts, Director Fury?"

Fury's eyebrows raised. "Agent Sterling, I hope that you are not calling me your enemy. Even so, you have a job to do, so I should stop keeping your from it. Coulson will brief you on the Captain, and then you can go from there."

Edith bit her tongue. _He's helping you find a cure, he's helping you find a cure,_ he's _helping you find a cure…_ "Yes sir."

Fury nodded, seemingly liking the change in Edith's tone. "Good."

He looked to Coulson, who nodded back at him before turning to Edith. She felt as though she was invading in some sort of bromance that was going on. Fury turned to Edith as a smug smile washed over his features. "I need to be somewhere. Coulson, brief Sterling before you bring her to him. And Sterling, don't mess this up."

Edith rolled her eyes at the man as he walked out. "I swear he thinks I'm twelve years old."

Coulson snorted at her accusation and smiled. "He has a habit of coming across like that from time to time."

"I can see that."

Wordlessly, Coulson handed her a file that she hadn't noticed was in his possession. "Here, you're going to want to read up a bit before you meet him."

"When am I going to meet him?"

"As soon as you're done with this, I'd say."

"How long has he been awake for, exactly?" Edith asked, looking through the papers that she had in front of her. None of them said anything she didn't already know, which was unfortunate.

"He's been up for about three weeks," Coulson replied, and his voice softened as he continued. "It was hard for him, initially. It took a few days for him to get acquainted with the surroundings, but now he usually just goes to our gym to blow off steam."

"So he's basically been alienated and alone for three weeks? You do realize that for him it was as if he fell asleep and the next thing he knows is that he has been asleep for seventy years. I, at least, have been able to see everything happen. This is a huge culture shock for him."

Coulson nodded in agreement. "Fury wanted to wait for you to get back from your mission before we started anything. He wants you to be close to him, to gain his trust."

Edith raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you're not telling me, Agent Coulson?"

He chuckled, but didn't answer the question. A frown crossed Edith's face at his response, or lack thereof, but she quickly put up a wall of indifference. In this world there was no one to trust, and Edith knew that. But some part of her had hoped that Coulson would be different.

"He seems to be the perfect soldier," Edith commented as she read the information laid out in front of her. "But no one is perfect."

"It's not fair to judge people before you meet them, you know," Coulson smartly pointed out.

Edith paused at the hesitation in his voice, and quickly shut the files on the super soldier. She knew that Coulson was hiding something from her, and it was starting to really tick away at her nerves. "I know all of this stuff already. I knew Howard Stark, and he gave me better information on America's Hero than this file has."

"Then I guess you're ready to meet Captain America. Please, come with me."

Coulson quickly walked out the door like a track sprinter would out of the blocks. Edith had to hurry out of the chair to catch up and see him holding an elevator door open for her. "What? Have to use the restroom or something?"

"I want to make sure we make it there one time. It's a courtesy to not be late to a meeting, or have you forgotten that?"

"Welcome back, Mr. Sassy Pants. Glad to know Fury hasn't completely ruined you yet."

Her ex-partner smirked at her. "Good to know."

As the elevator quickly came to a stop, Coulson continued to walk her down to wherever she would be meeting the Captain, and quickly realized he was leading her to the infirmary ward, and her brow creased in concern. "Has Captain America gotten hurt or something?"

Coulson shook his head. "The doctors are just running their tests to make sure his body is still doing fine after being submerged in ice for seventy years. I believe that today is the last check up, and the day he gets to move out of here."

Edith paused, groaning when she came to a realization. "Oh God, please tell me that I am not going to have to share my apartment with him. I don't think I could do it."

Coulson looked at her, and rolled his eyes at the stubbornness that was flowing through the youthful woman. She crossed her arms, and glared at the fellow agent at his (once again) refusal to answer.

"Coulson, don't tell me that I have to live with him," Edith begged, her eyes pleading. She liked her space, and space wasn't something she was going to get if Captain America stayed in the same apartment as her.

The agent sighed for before answering, "You don't have to room with Captain America. Now, please, come with me, Sterling."

They walked through the infirmary to room 15, and stopped. Coulson pressed his thumb on a scanner, unlocking the door. Edith took a deep breath, readying herself for what was about to happen. She wasn't dumb, she knew this assignment was going to last a long time.

 _God knows what messed up innuendos Tony was going to say about this._

Edith followed Coulson's lead, walking into the tight room that held America's lost hero. The very man she was going to have to look after… the very thought made a small shiver go up her spine.

She walked in slowly, and couldn't help but let her eyes widen as she took in the man in front of her. His blonde hair shined in the light that illuminated the room above him, seeming to circle him in some sort of God-like aura.

He was shirtless, and she noticed that he was getting a shot in his lower back. His back muscles seemed to tighten at the needle, but Edith couldn't help but realize it was almost as if he had been sculpted by God. She was impressed by his physique, and she hadn't even seen his face yet.

This man was going to be the death of her.

As soon as the nurse finished giving him the shot, the Captain immediately pulled a shirt over his head before turning around to meet the new company.

Edith was immediately drowned in pools of blue, the deepest blue that she had seen in all of her years. His face was exactly how she remembered it to be… only better.

"Captain Rogers, I'd like to introduce you to your new escort," Coulson spoke, his voice sounding slightly muffled to Edith's ears. "This is Edith Sterling, an agent here at Shield."

Edith immediately snapped out of her stupor at the sound of her name, and threw a quick smile at the soldier, who did not wear the happy look she had expected. He was obviously irritated at the news. And for some reason, that didn't fly too well with her.

"I was not expecting to have a babysitter, sir."

Edith quickly bit her tongue and turned to Coulson, begging for him to say something before she did. Coulson quickly acknowledged the situation, and nodded to the Captain. "It has come to Fury's knowledge that you are experiencing something of a culture shock, and we would like to help you get accustomed into this time. So, we have Agent Sterling here to help you."

The Captain looked at her painfully before quickly turning his expression into a stone wall. "That is very hospitable of him, but I don't think anyone could understand where I am coming from," he paused, before quickly tripping over himself to continue. "Not to mean any offense to you, Ma'am, but I don't think that I need someone to help me."

Edith nodded, accepting his answer. She understood where he was coming from, had just been feeling the same mere minutes ago. But there was something about the Captain in front of her- the loneliness, the pain that she saw in his eyes, which changed her mind.

She saw the same look in her eyes when she looked in the mirror.

"But you are going to need someone to help you adjust to society, Captain," Edith insisted. "I'll give you some space, but trust me, you're going to need help with the twenty first century."

The super soldier nodded, and a small smile crossed his face. "Okay, but please call me Steve. I'm not just a Soldier."

"Sounds good, Steve." Steve and Edith shared a smile before Edith quickly turned to Coulson. "Where are you going to put him?"

Coulson was smiling like a cheeky little bastard which made Edith want to punch it right off of him. But because America's finest was watching her, she figured she could wait for another time.

"You know the place very well, actually. I've given Jarvis the address already so you can drive right there," Coulson explained. "Just grab his things and go. The apartment is furnished and contains all the things he needs."

Edith nodded at Coulson, and he handed her the keys to her car and her lucky bag that had been confiscated when she was threatening to leave earlier today. She quickly strapped the bag across her shoulder and snatched the keys from his hold.

"I'll be seeing you later, Coulson. C'mon, Steve." Edith waltzed out of the room with a confidence that only Tony Stark could match.

Steve's eyes widened at the authority, turning to look at Coulson in question. Coulson smiled slightly at the super soldier before turning his gaze to the door where Edith had just walked out of. "You'll get used to it."

Steve nodded, then looked to where the woman had just went, somewhat in a daze. "I hope so."

"Coulson! Don't hold Captain America hostage! I know you have a crush on him, but he's my assignment!"

Coulson cringed at Edith's irritated exclamation from the hallway before turning back to look at Steve, who wore a look of dread that looked like he was about to march to his death. "Trust me," he told the Captain. "The two of you have a lot more in common than you realize."

Edith walked back into the room with an icy glare pointed directly at the senior agent. "Coulson, leave him alone." She turned to her new assignment with a lighter gaze. "Rogers, we should probably get moving before we hit rush hour. That would suck."

He nodded to her, and quickly followed her out of the room, obviously not wanting to test her. Edith couldn't help but be pleased at how well he complied after his fit earlier. Even though he did have a valid point, but she couldn't help but imagine he would be more opinionated.

She walked with him to his living quarters, which was really just a small room that had a lofted bed and a trunk of things that she figured was Steve's. He swiftly grabbed the trunk before turning to her, an expectant look on his face.

"Is that all?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I have only been awake for about a month now, and haven't been allowed outside of headquarters for very long. So yeah, this is it."

Edith couldn't help but laugh. "Nice to see you have some back bone to ya, Rogers."

He sighed. "I guess being a gentleman is a thing of the past?"

Edith smiled slightly at his realization. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Huh."

"Yeah. What a world to wake up to."

Steve quickly shook his head in denial. "No, there are things that have improved. Some agents showed me the methods of communication. That has greatly improved."

"Yeah, now people forget how to speak to each other face to face. We have our technology to do that for us."

His expression soured and quickly sobered. "Yeah, I guess this isn't the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

Edith couldn't help but frown at the hidden sadness in his tone, something that she figured he has gotten really well at hiding. But for a woman who has been alive for over 600 years, there aren't a lot of things that can get past her anymore.

"I can only imagine."

The memory of being burnt a the stake after being cursed by the witch, feeling everything as the flames licked her unscarred body wasn't the greatest thing that's ever happened to her, either. The thought of living forever made her stomach churn.

"Are you okay?"

Edith was quickly snapped back to reality at the sound of Steve's voice. It was as if everything just clicked back into focus and she focused in on him to see a worried look plastered on his face. Her eyes widened at how he had dropped the trunk and was now standing closer to her. _I wonder how long I was out for._

"Edith?"

"Yeah, I'm good. We should probably get going."

Steve didn't drop his look of worry but he picked up the trunk anyway and followed Edith's lead out the door. She had to hand it to him, he wasn't some naïve boy that people had him out to be.

Edith led him to her brand new black custom BMW that Tony got her for her last birthday, which was nice because he had made his own modifications to it to accommodate her lifestyle.

She looked at Steve's shocked expression from the corner of her eye and couldn't stop the smug smile that crossed her face as a result. He's definitely missed a lot the past 70 years, and the modeling of cars for sure is one of them.

"Nice… car?"

Edith let out a loose laugh before opening the door to the back seat of her vehicle. "Thanks. You can put the trunk on the seats. Don't worry if it makes them dirty, I have a guy who can fix it right up."

He nodded and slid the trunk into the back seat of her BMW. "Why is your car so _different_ from the others?"

She shrugged before sliding into the driver's seat, and strapped herself in. She answered as Steve did the same, "It's different because it costs a lot more than any other Shield agent can afford to buy."

Steve nodded at her words, and his eyebrows furrowed as though he was trying to figure something out. "Pardon me by saying this, but you don't seem like the rich type."

Edith laughed. "Jarvis, bring us to Captain Roger's apartment."

"Of course, Miss Sterling," The AI's voice came over the speakers before driving the car out into the city. "Would you like me to play some music for you, Miss Sterling?"

"No thanks, Jarvis."

The car stayed silent for a second before Edith turned to look at the man out of time with a hesitant smile. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw that Steve was looking around the car, in search of the source before he looked directly at her and blushed.

"Things have very much changed since I landed in the ice, haven't they?" Steve asked. This was probably one of the harshest environments she could have put him in right from the get-go, but she had to start somewhere, right?

"Yeah. That's why Fury wants me to help you out. I kind of understand where you're coming from a little bit, so he thought it would be best if I'd help you. And on another note, I didn't know that being rich was a _type_."

Steve's hands went up in a surrendering positon. "The only rich guy I knew was Howard Stark."

Edith laughed. "He wasn't all that bad. Just a tad eccentric. Trust me, his son is a whole lot more trouble than Howard ever was."

Steve's smile immediately dropped from its place as he took in Edith's words. "You speak as though you knew him?"

Edith smiled softly, turning to look out the front dashboard window. "You're not the only one who has been around for a while, Rogers."

"But-"

"The destination is now reached, Miss Sterling."

Edith looked out the window, and saw herself in a familiar parking lot that had Stark Security, and was more like a fortress than an apartment complex. All it took was one look out the window and she was immediately seething with anger.

"Go to hell, Coulson."


	4. Chapter 3

**The Cursed Avenger**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Stark Apartments**

For the first few days, Edith and Steve danced around each other, and Edith was sure he was just holding up to what he said back at Shield Headquarters- he wanted space. But as the first three days came and went, Edith got bored. And apparently so did Captain America.

She walked up to the Captain's apartment, which was just the floor above her. Apparently Tony knew about her new assignment before she did as he had already prepared his apartment for use before Edith knew that Captain America was even awake. And for some reason that made her angry as she realized that Tony was keeping secrets from her, too. _But isn't that what her job is? To keep secrets?_

Edith just decided to accept the fact that people around her keep to themselves. But somewhere in the back of her mind a fire brewed in frustration.

She walked up to his door and knocked twice. She waited to hear someone come walking up to the door, but no one came. Edith knocked again as her eyebrows furrowed together in worry, wondering what was keeping the Star Spangled Man from answering the door. Immediately the picture of Steve lying on the floor, with blood surrounding him crossed her mind and she was about to kick the door in when she heard some movement.

The door quickly opened, and Edith rushed in the room, quickly assessing the situation. There was no tossed around furniture, no blood spatter, and no enemy to be found. In fact, the room looked cleaner than when she brought him here.

She turned around quickly to see Steve standing there with his blue eyes slightly widened, and laced with sleep. He was wearing some loose sweatpants and a white tee shirt that was put on backwards, and Edith blushed at the realization.

"Did I wake you up?"

He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Well, it is only 5:30, I guess you caught me a bit earlier than my wake-up call."

Edith laughed a bit, and tried to ignore her face turning red at the thought of catching the super soldier asleep. "I can't believe… I didn't even look to see… you know what, I think I'll just come back later."

She made a move to leave, but Steve grabbed her arm softly and held her in place. "No, it's okay, I was going to wake up soon anyway. Just let me get dressed quick."

Edith nodded, and tried to hide behind her hair as her blushed deepened even more. He smiled at her and quickly walked back into his room, leaving her all alone in the space.

The room was darkened as the shades were pulled, creating a dark vibe in the spotless apartment. He had a couch, two chairs, and a television right off from the door, which led into the kitchen and off of the kitchen was a small table and chairs by the window. All his furniture looked as they were from his era, of course not regarding the new technology.

Edith sat down stiffly on the chair, feeling awkward and out of place in Steve's apartment. It was awkward for her modest mind to think about a man changing behind the closed door, especially a man with a body of Captain America.

That thought alone was enough to make her blush.

There was a coffee table in front of her that seemed out of place in the apartment as it was littered with papers and journals all about American history. She knew he had learned the changes in warfare and technology from Shield operatives, but even then there was a whole lot he had missed out on.

Edith couldn't imagine crashing a plane then waking up to see that 70 years has passed. It was like a nightmare, even to her.

"Want some breakfast?" She looked up to see Steve now changed into high-waist pants and a white shirt, which was an outfit she recognized from the forties.

"Yes please," she replied, standing up and walking over to the kitchen to see Steve already looking into his fridge, blocking his body almost completely from her view.

"How does some eggs sound?" he asked, peering his head around the fridge with a small smile. "I don't know how to make much, but eggs seem pretty easy."

"They sound great. Do you need any help?" Edith asked while she leaned against the counter comfortably.

He grabbed the food and placed it onto the counter before replying, "Nah, I don't think the art of making eggs has changed much over the years. But you could help me by showing me how to work that television."

Edith laughed lightly, and nodded in agreement. "Of course, I'll show you after we eat. And hey, sorry again for waking you up. I guess sometimes I forget what time it is."

Steve shrugged as he cracked the eggs into a bowl and started to whisk the fluid. He looked up as he whisked, and studied the circles under her eyes with a worried gaze. "Did you even sleep at all last night?"

She silently cursed herself for not covering up the small black circles that ran under her sharp blue eyes. "I guess I forget to sleep sometimes, too."

"How to you forget to sleep?"

Edith narrowed her eyes at the super soldier. "How can you sleep for 70 years?"

Steve immediately froze and dropped his whisk, causing the bowl to tip and lose its contents. Edith's eyes went wide as she saw his eyes darken and his hands clench at his sides. His jaw tightened considerably, and for a second Edith was scared he was going to start yelling at her.

But with some sort of superhuman control, he gruffly spoke, "Excuse me," before walking out of the kitchen and into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"Oops."

Edith looked at the spilled egg yolk in front of her as she felt anger course through her veins. Why does he get to act all dramatic and upset and it be okay, but if she bats an eye or bring up her issue she gets reprimanded for being weak? Besides, he was the one who started it, even if he didn't mean to.

She sighed, and sat down at the table by the window, looking out at the New York skyline. She had no right to react the way she did. Having 600 years to get used to her curse is a lot different than only having a few months. Besides, their situations are completely different.

Her head rested in her hands, and she closed her eyes. It was barely 5 in the morning and she had already screwed up. That must be some sort of record or something.

Edith looked up at the door that was still shut with sad eyes. She had hoped that they could start to get to know each other today, and he would be able to finally trust her. But, of course, she had to mess it all up.

Deciding to make herself useful, and hopefully get herself into Steve's better favors, she got up to go and clean the countertop that was still a sopping mess from the egg yolk. Grabbing some paper towels, she soaked up the liquid and squeezed it down the drain, repeating that action until it was all gone.

She searched his kitchen for some sort of cleaner, which soon started to piss her off. She went through his cupboards quickly, careful to not make too much of a mess.

"Can I help you find something?"

Edith was now looking in a bottom cupboard for what felt like the fifth time and shot up at the sound of his voice. "Owe!"

She smacked her head on the cupboard door and fell down from the trauma. She immediately put a hand to the top of her head and of course felt nothing but her hair. "Damn curse."

She heard footsteps rush over and before she could comprehend anything two arms were holding her up. "Oh God, I am so sorry, please, let me help you!"

Edith quickly realized she was in the arms of Steve Rogers, or rather, he was holding her shoulders and more than half her body weight. It was kind of romantic, when you think about it.

"I'm okay," she said, shuffling out of his arms and standing on her own. "Really, don't worry about it."

His hands still ghosted by her shoulders, and she could tell he was assessing the damage with his eyes. "Normally I would expect some blood, or even a head ache," he commented once he realized there was nothing wrong with her. "No offense, but you must have a really hard head."

Edith rolled her eyes, and laughed a bit at his bluntness. "That's one way to call it, I guess."

Steve's eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly cut him off. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. It was wrong of me, and I apologize."

His mouth snapped shut and he crossed his arms with a small smile. "I accept your apology, although I'm afraid it was mostly my fault. I apologize for how I mistreated you, I hadn't meant to come across as offensive I was just-"

"Saying what came to your head?" he nodded a bit sheepishly. Edith laughed a bit at his embarrassment then quickly compensated, "I guess that's something we both have to work on."

He nodded at her appreciatively. "So, are you ever going to teach me how to use that television?"

She threw her head back and laughed, surprised at his quick change of topic. "Look, Captain, before you want me to teach you anything, you're gonna have to finish making me some food. I'm starved!"

They both flooded into the kitchen with laughter, all signs of tension gone and was replaced by a new sense of something that Edith hadn't felt in a long time. Hope.

Steve skillfully made scrambled eggs for the both of them after quickly picking up the mess he made in his first attempt, and they moved to eat at the table.

"So, Edith, you know a whole lot about me but I don't know a thing about you. So what got you into Shield, actually?"

Edith paused for a second, and sat the fork down on the plate. She knew she couldn't lie to him, but she didn't want to freak him out about her curse, so she just decided to stick to the basics. "Well, a friend of mine was doing work for Shield, so I decided to help out as well. I started to do some consulting gigs then ended up becoming a full time agent."

Steve nodded, accepting her answer. "At least you had a choice," he joked. "It's odd to think that anyone could have found me, and they did. And now I'm being forced to work for them."

"They're not forcing you to do anything, Steve."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so if they're not forcing me to work for them, why is it that you're my babysitter?"

"The people who you trusted with the serum were the ones who started Shield, you know. Peggy Carter and Howard Stark… they created Shield in remembrance of you, Steve. You're lucky to be able to have this opportunity to help people."

He tensed up at the names, and his blue eyes went off far away, almost as if they were going back in time. Edith knew from experience not to take his attention, so she just ate her food in silence, looking up at the sorrow that was taking over his features.

"You're right."

"I know I am," Edith smartly replied.

Steve chuckled a bit, but they were soon overtaken by silence. She finished her food, and noticed that Steve was picking at it half-heartily. This must be a tough subject for him.

"So, what about you? I mean, I know all about Captain America, but what about the guy underneath?"

Steve's posture immediately relaxed. "Well, I was born and raised in Brooklyn. My mother, Sarah, raised me after my father passed. I was a small guy, and very sickly. It was a wonder how I even survived growing up how I did, but I guess I owe that to my mother and Bucky."

Edith nodded, a small smirk resting on her face. She knew that Bucky must be a tough subject for Steve, so she decided to stray away from it. "Well, I believe you also have to give credit to your stubbornness. I've barely gotten to know you, and I can tell you like to get your way."

"I can assure you I can take orders, doll. But, I guess in some ways I can be a bit stubborn."

"Just a bit?"

Steve laughed and playfully glared at her. "Hey! I don't know if I should take offense to that."

She laughed with him. "Don't. Actually, don't take half of the things I say seriously. I tend to say things before I think about it."

"I thought that had already been stated."

Edith chuckled at his light-hearted jab, and sighed in contentment. She didn't think it would be this easy to get along with him, even after she had insulted him and caused him to practically break the door to his room in anger. She guessed that he must either be some sort of a Saint or a really forgiving guy.

"Where are you from?" He asked, continuing this whirlwind game of questions.

"England," Edith supplied. "I grew up in England before I moved to the United States."

"Really?"

"Well, I'd think I'd know if I grew up in England or not."

Steve rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, I guess I just wasn't expecting that because you don't have an accent."

She shrugged. "I guess it's just worn off over time."

"So… when did you move to the States?"

"When I was 14." Now _that_ was a lie, but what was she supposed to say? She had to make it believable that she lost her accent. And if she were to tell the truth, then the truth about her curse would have to be revealed. Steve Rogers wasn't stupid.

"Did you move with your family, then?"

Edith looked down at the plate in front of her as her father's features flashed through her brain. "No. They died, and I was sent to the United States for schooling. I've been here ever since."

She felt a hand grab her arm softly, causing her to look up. Steve had reached across the table to give her support, and she knew that he understood what she had gone through. If anything, it was still probably even harder for him.

Yet he was the one comforting her. It should be the other way around.

"So, do you want to learn about the television or not?" Edith asked, forcing a smile on her face. She knew that Steve wouldn't buy it, but apparently he saw that she was trying and respected that.

"I sure do. Look, I don't really know you very well, but if you need someone to talk to, you know, about anything, just let me know."

She looked at him with a real smile this time. "Will do, Doctor Rogers."

"Great. Now, how about that television? I still don't really understand how that remote control is supposed to connect to the screen and tell it what to do…"

They walked to the living area and parked themselves in front of the screen, and Edith showed him how the remote would trigger different things to happen on the television, and how it replaced the use of the dial on the old-time television sets. She showed him the settings, and how he could change the channel, record shows, and even watch movies.

It was funny for her to see such a large, and supposedly smart man look at the set with a child-like trance, and she showed him some of her favorite channels.

"This is ESPN, a sports network that allows you to watch sports. On your set you have both ESPN and ESPN 2. If you can't remember the channel number, you go to the settings, hit search, and type in the name of the program, like this."

She showed him exactly what she did, and wrote it down for him to use just in case he forgot what to do.

"So you can see anything at any time?" Steve asked, looking at the search quest on the screen with amazement. "This is a lot better than when I was growing up."

Edith nodded. "Same here, Rogers."

The duo spent the rest of the day surfing through channels and watching different shows, as Edith introduced him to all of her favorites, but made sure none of them were too heavy. There were obviously a lot of references he didn't understand, but he was making progress.

Before she knew it, it was already bordering 11 pm, and Edith was starting to get really tired. After not sleeping at all last night, it wouldn't be smart to pull another all-nighter. That could lead to some seriously nasty side effects for tomorrow that she wanted no part of.

"I better get going, Steve," she said, standing up and stretching her legs, giving him time to stand up with her.

"It's been a pleasure to make your acquaintance, doll. I'll head to your apartment tomorrow, if you don't mind. Maybe you can teach me more about my telephone."

Blue met blue, and for a moment the world stood still. Edith wore a polite smile as she replied, "Steve, it's not a telephone if you can carry it around with you. They call those cell phones now-days."

He groaned. "More things to learn, I'm betting."

She nodded, and held back her laughter at the annoyed look on his face. "Don't worry, Rogers. You're going to get the hang of it soon enough. Not everything happens overnight, you know."

"I guess so."

Edith walked to the door, grabbing her belongings before allowing Steve to open up the door for her. "Good night, Steve. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled at her as she walked out, and for some reason she couldn't get rid of the incredible feeling of happiness that had overtaken her. She was starting to realize what Coulson meant. Maybe Steve Rogers could help her after all.

As she fell asleep, all she could find herself thinking about were those two blue eyes and how they might be able to save her after all.


End file.
